CareNetworks Online Community and Social Media Blog

Senior Living, LTC, And Social Media: What We Learned In 2009 [Part 1]

Email Article |  digg it |  delicious |  Facebook |  Twitter |  LinkedIn 

This was the year that senior living, long-term care, homecare, and hospice providers began experimenting with social media. Social tools like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn; blogging/publishing platforms like WordPress; and white-label social/group networking platforms like Ning and Groupsite have started to penetrate these industry segments and are slowly beginning to change the way these companies are doing business. Even ALFA, the Assisted Living Federation of America, launched a social media initiative this year and is active on multiple social sites. 

Since August when I launched this blog, I have posted many articles about companies in our industry, both small and large, that are beginning to use social technologies to derive business benefits. Some posts feature interviews with industry insiders who share their experiences and offer great insights into what's working, and what's not. Other articles provide information, tips, and resources designed to help your company navigate the social media landscape. In case you missed any, here is a list of my Top 10 Most Popular Posts for 2009:

1. California's Largest Retirement Community Kicks Butt Using Social Media [Interview]
   
2. Home Care Company Uses Twitter To Build Brand Awareness And More [Interview]
3. 7 Best Social Media Tools For Senior Living And Long-Term Care
4. Social Media And HIPAA: What You Need To Know
5. Nation's Largest Senior Living Company Embraces Social Media [Interview]
6. How Senior Living And Eldercare Companies Can Build A Winning Social Media Team
7. Senior Living Companies: You Must Blog Now!
8. Beacon Hill Retirement Community Launches Resident Blog - Smart Move
9. Blog, Twitter, And Facebook = Big ROI At SeniorsForLiving.com [Interview]
   
10. Web-Savvy Senior Living Companies Are Making The Move To Social Media. Are You? 

What We Have Learned: A Year In Review [Part 1 of 2]

Below is a summary of important lessons from the world of social media as they apply to the senior living and long-term care industries, along with links to more detailed content if you want more juice: 

• Social technologies are transformative and are here to stay. The statistics are mind blowing. This video drives that point home.
• The static, brochure-style website is going the way of the dinosaurs. Dynamic, interactive websites that encourage dialog and participation and help you build relationships with customers and prospects is where it's at. If you don't have social and community-building elements built into your website, it's time to rethink your online strategy. 
• Your customers are online, in a big way, and they love social networking and social media. This video from MSNBC is one example. The fact that seniors are Facebook's fastest growing demographic, by far, is another.
  
• Many experts, including myself, believe that social media/networking can and will have a profound impact on the quality of life of seniors living at home and in retirement communities - allowing them to stay connected to friends and family like never before. This study from the University of Alabama, and others like it, aim to prove that point with real data.
  
• Social media can be used for employer branding purposes and to help you recruit top talent. Sites like LinkedIn and Twitter can help you attract and engage both management and care staff. Branded online communities, like the one over at Living Well Assisted Living At Home, can function as a recruiting tool by posting jobs in the discussion forums and asking prospective employees participate in the online community during the interview process. 
• Privacy and HIPAA issues, while important in our industry, should not prevent companies from adopting social technologies. With the proper strategies, policies, and guidelines in place, senior living and LTC companies can safely participate on the social web.
  
• A company blog is a critical tool in the social media tool box. It can drive traffic to your site, position your company as a trusted resource, and help you build community on the web. Whether you have a company blog or have yet to build one, these articles can help with your blogging strategy. 
• Keeping up with the fast paced world of social media can be a job in and of itself, and presents as one of the biggest challenges for companies in every industry. New tools and applications enter the market every day. For companies in our industry, these 7 tools are the best place to start. 
• Most senior living and LTC companies I've interviewed believe that social media ROI is difficult, if not impossible, to measure. Lucky for us, a couple of smart social media pros have shown that this is not necessarily the case. These articles cover the all-important ROI issue.

In part 2 of this series, which will be published next week, I will summarize what we learned from the interviews I conducted in the Social Media Success Series.

Build Your Social Media Presence In 2010

Thinking about starting a company blog? Interested in getting into social media but don't know where to start? Fascinated by the prospect of online community? Contact us. CareNetworks is the only company dedicated soley to providing social media strategy and solutions to senior living and LTC providers.  

Brian Geyser, APRN-BC, MSN is a clinician, consultant, educator, blogger, social media strategist, online community manager and the founder of Carenetworks, LLC. He blogs regularly here at Carenetworks.com and would love to connect with you on Twitter, Linkedin, and/or Facebook.